Reply to: Paralympics

[SueEllen]

Not mad enough for CUK.

And yet you don't bat an eyelid where mechanical device are currently in use. The pole in pole vault, boats in rowing, crossbows in arrow throwing contests, cycling, bobsleighing. All man plus machine events. And there are even animal assisted events.

Watching the male swimmers now. Tight cycling short like trunks.

Though I know they all shave every bit of their bodies that touches the water.

[TimberWolf]

I think you've gone slightly mad TW

Not mad enough for CUK.

And yet you don't bat an eyelid where mechanical device are currently in use. The pole in pole vault, boats in rowing, crossbows in arrow throwing contests, cycling, bobsleighing. All man plus machine events. And there are even animal assisted events.

[Doggy Styles]

What I'd like to see isn't specific to the handicapped, it would be open to anyone including the handicapped. Any mechanical device that is entirely human powered within loose parameters, such as that the mode of moving would involve a stepping motion. The opposite of what we see in cycling where everything is strictly controlled to the nth degree. That way we might see advances in technology and see a great mechanical spectacle. Imagine a race of giant springy steppy machines. Awesome. A race of machines, though you'd need the best humans too. Swim suits of any slippery design would be welcome, even in the swimming races.

Is it so different than ending up with basketball players that are 7 foot tall and cyclists who have arms like spaghetti? All a bit unfair to the vertically challenged or normals isn't it? Not that the latter would win mechanical races either, but hey, winning isn't fair.

I think you've gone slightly mad TW

[TimberWolf]

In any case even if people don't like the aesthetics of competing mechanical machines, I would still like to know how fast someone can propel themselves up a track on springs in the least amount of time, how fast they can run a marathon and how high they can jump and swim using only their own human energy. No pre storage of energy, in the same way a pole in the pole vault can't be primed, and is powered only by the kinetic energy of the runner at the time of the event.

[TimberWolf]

What I'd like to see isn't specific to the handicapped, it would be open to anyone including the handicapped. Any mechanical device that is entirely human powered within loose parameters, such as that the mode of moving would involve a stepping motion. The opposite of what we see in cycling where everything is strictly controlled to the nth degree. That way we might see advances in technology and see a great mechanical spectacle. Imagine a race of giant springy steppy machines. Awesome. A race of machines, though you'd need the best humans too. Swim suits of any slippery design would be welcome, even in the swimming races.

Is it so different than ending up with basketball players that are 7 foot tall and cyclists who have arms like spaghetti? All a bit unfair to the vertically challenged or normals isn't it? Not that the latter would win mechanical races either, but hey, winning isn't fair.

[TimberWolf]

But if you have legs, you wouldn't maybe get the same advantage with the attachments so it's still not level. It would only be level if able-bodied athletes were allowed to have their lower legs cut off.

It isn't level. If it were level there would be no winner. Someone has to have longer legs or bigger muscles or some other advantage unless the winner is to be randomly determined.

[d000hg]

The suits aided buoyancy however the design of the pool also increased the speed and as a result something like 46 WR were broken in that pool.

Yes that was a fun one to watch. I didn't know they'd since banned the suits though - seems a bit harsh on any would-be record-breaker.

[moggy]

Well remembered and another reason to have a draconian rule on technology to even out the playing field. It takes away the spirit of the games if one guy can go 10% faster through technology before they have even stepped on the track. They banned those swimsuits that put a layer of bubbles around the swimmer as well but can't remember if it was used to break records first.

EDIT : Ahh here it is, Phelps did clean the board in one before they got banned..

Full Body Swimsuit Now Banned for Swimmers - ABC News

something in the papers today about british swimsuits giving an edge i think..

[northernladuk]

The US an European definition is:

More details on the guy himself here including references to his degree of blindness.

He has 20/200 vision on one eye and 20/100 in the other, he also shoots without correction ( no glasses or contacts). He would have to stand at 7 meters from the target to get the same clarity as a normal person at 70m.

Nice find. Thanks for that. That is indeed quite an achievement by him then.

[FiveTimes]

Well remembered and another reason to have a draconian rule on technology to even out the playing field. It takes away the spirit of the games if one guy can go 10% faster through technology before they have even stepped on the track. They banned those swimsuits that put a layer of bubbles around the swimmer as well but can't remember if it was used to break records first.

EDIT : Ahh here it is, Phelps did clean the board in one before they got banned..

Full Body Swimsuit Now Banned for Swimmers - ABC News

The suits aided buoyancy however the design of the pool also increased the speed and as a result something like 46 WR were broken in that pool.

[SueEllen]

Well remembered and another reason to have a draconian rule on technology to even out the playing field. It takes away the spirit of the games if one guy can go 10% faster through technology before they have even stepped on the track. They banned those swimsuits that put a layer of bubbles around the swimmer as well but can't remember if it was used to break records first.

Yeah it did make them go faster.

Just reminded me in Wheelchair baskeball they banned Spain as their athletes were not disabled.

[northernladuk]

A few years ago Chris Boardman won a track cycling gold riding a custom built bike that was different to every other competitors. After that Olympics they banned it and introduced ruls ensuring all riders were on a level playing field in terms of technology.

I'm surprised they let him in (although I think what he does is pretty cool)

Well remembered and another reason to have a draconian rule on technology to even out the playing field. It takes away the spirit of the games if one guy can go 10% faster through technology before they have even stepped on the track. They banned those swimsuits that put a layer of bubbles around the swimmer as well but can't remember if it was used to break records first.

EDIT : Ahh here it is, Phelps did clean the board in one before they got banned..

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/full-...ory?id=9437780

[DaveB]

I think there is some poor journalism here. It doesn't say why he is legally blind. Not all reasons for being legally blind are a disadvantage. He might have hawk like long range vision but can't see his hand in front of his face. He might not have good field of vision but to see a target it isn't required etc... I would love to know exactly what makes him legally blind.

The US an European definition is:

In North America and most of Europe, legal blindness is defined as visual acuity (vision) of 20/200 (6/60) or less in the better eye with best correction possible. This means that a legally blind individual would have to stand 20 feet (6.1 m) from an object to see it—with corrective lenses—with the same degree of clarity as a normally sighted person could from 200 feet (61 m). In many areas, people with average acuity who nonetheless have a visual field of less than 20 degrees (the norm being 180 degrees) are also classified as being legally blind. Approximately ten percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision. The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity. Low vision is sometimes used to describe visual acuities from 20/70 to 20/200.[3]

More details on the guy himself here including references to his degree of blindness.

London 2012 Olympics: legally blind South Korean archer Im Dong-Hyun eyes gold medal at the Games - Telegraph

He has 20/200 vision on one eye and 20/100 in the other, he also shoots without correction ( no glasses or contacts). He would have to stand at 7 meters from the target to get the same clarity as a normal person at 70m.

[moggy]

I think there is some poor journalism here. It doesn't say why he is legally blind. Not all reasons for being legally blind are a disadvantage. He might have hawk like long range vision but can't see his hand in front of his face. He might not have good field of vision but to see a target it isn't required etc... I would love to know exactly what makes him legally blind.

colour blind

[Doggy Styles]

I think there is some poor journalism here. It doesn't say why he is legally blind. Not all reasons for being legally blind are a disadvantage. He might have hawk like long range vision but can't see his hand in front of his face. He might not have good field of vision but to see a target it isn't required etc... I would love to know exactly what makes him legally blind.

He could have tunnel vision.